Huey Smith

Huey Smith, (born Jan. 26, 1934, New Orleans, La., U.S.), American pianist, bandleader, songwriter, and vocalist, a principal figure in the 1950s rock and roll that became known as the New Orleans sound.

Smith contributed vocals and his aggressive, boogie-based piano style to the rhythm-and-blues recordings of others before forming his own band. For a time Huey Smith and the Clowns, which featured singer-comedian Bobby Marchan and outstanding New Orleans instrumentalists, toured widely as a result of their 1957–58 novelty hits “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu” and “Don’t You Just Know It.” The latter, with its “Koobo, kooba, kooba, ... (100 of 132 words)